Taunton School Main Building at Dusk

Swimmers to take on Croatia’s spectacular coastlines

Posted: 29th June 2017

A team of open water sea swimmers from Taunton School will be island-hopping along Croatia’s dramatic Dalmation Coast at the beginning of July.

The Taunton School Long Distance Swimming Club (TDLDSC) which includes 16 pupils from aged 12 to 15, along with staff and parents, will be taking on the 6-day tour in July to kick off their summer programme of adventurous swim challenges.

12 year-olds Josh Green, Helen Hounslow, Amber Wilson, Ollie Heard, 13 year-olds Hetty James, Freddie Salter-Green, Sophia Wilson, Ben Chaffey and 14 year-olds Georgia Williams, Emily Lawton, Freya Tyler, Skyla Coate, Emma Hounslow, Flo Salter-Green, Ollie James and Ollie Halliday are part of the fearless team of open water swimmers taking part.

The swimmers will be based on the island of Prvić in the geographic heart of the Dalmatian Coast in the Adriatic Sea. Based amongst the islands, reefs and islets of the Šibenik archipelago, this tour will combine training along dramatic coastlines and lunar-like landscapes, with superb water quality and some truly stunning underwater topography. Expert Swimtrek guides will analyse and improve stroke technique with evening swim clinics. The children will be swimming approximately 4-5km a day building to their biggest Challenge swimming to the rugged island of Žirje, which is one of Croatia’s most isolated yet idyllic islands, from Kakan; a distance on 3.5km across open seas.

Some of the pupils on the tour took part in the epic English Channel swim in September last year, and also in the Henley Swim in June, which involved swimming the course of the iconic Regatta. These will be joined by a new generation of swimmers gaining vital open water swimming experience ready for a Jersey circumnavigation in 2018.

Leading the group is teacher and TSLDSC Co-ordinator Hamish McCarthy who said: “This is the perfect base from which to explore the area’s uninhabited islands, quiet fishing communities and laid back way of life. I have every faith that our incredible swimmers will rise to the challenges in their typically enthusiastic manner. We will be guided at all times by the experienced Swimtrek guides and look forward to a wonderful challenging trip in warmer conditions to that which we usually train in.”

On their return all of the clubs are competing in the Clevedon Long Swim, 22 July, in the dark waters of the Bristol Channel which will be a totally different challenge to the clear waters of Croatia.

 

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